Thank you to all of those lovely people who reviewed the last chapter! This one's been another tricky one to write, but I think I'm happy with it, so I very much hope you enjoy it! As ever, please forgive my mistakes – it is past my bedtime.

Chapter One Hundred and Ten: When Wounds Begin to Heal

Pippin's heart was beating so fast that he could barely breathe. A million questions swirled through his mind and burnt at the tip of his tongue, but he pursed his lips and kept quiet, watching as Gandalf set his sister down on the empty bedroll at the back of one of the healing tents. A curtain hung before them, separating them from the rest of the tent and offering Nelly a little privacy, and for a heart-wrenching moment, Pippin thought Gandalf would order him to stay on the other side of it. He could not bear the thought of it – he was terrified that if he took his eyes off her, even for a second, she would vanish and he would wake, and it would only be a dream that she was alive at all.

Gandalf glanced down at him, and then raised his eyebrows at Nelly. Tears welled in her eyes, and without a word she held out her hand for Pippin.

Waiting barely long enough for Gandalf's nod, Pippin tumbled into the room, falling down to his knees beside her and grabbing her hand once again. She looked up at him, smiling weakly, but her face was so pale and her cheeks were so hollow, and tears filled his own eyes.

"So, my dear Nelly," said Gandalf gently, washing his hands in a bowl of steaming water. "Where are your injuries at their worst?"

She took a deep breath, wincing even as she did so. "My… my shoulder, and my ankle. And my… my chest. But… but everything … everything hurts, Gandalf, and I – I'm so hungry, and my head…"

His blue eyes glistening with tears, Gandalf bent down and put his hand on Nelly's uninjured shoulder. "As soon as I am done, we will give you a draught for the pain, and a good bowl of broth besides. But I think it is best I see to your injuries first, if you will allow me?"

She nodded, wiping her eyes, and Gandalf smiled sadly.

"As brave a dwarf as any I've known," he said softly. "We will need to get to your wounds, Nelly… We will not be able to avoid removing your tunic."

"It's fine," she mumbled.

"Are you sure?" the wizard paused, his face twisting in sympathy. "I am sorry we have no female healers here."

Nelly shook her head slightly. "It's fine," she said again, but she shuddered, and there was something in his tone that told Pippin she did not really think it was all that fine.

Nevertheless, she wormed her good arm out of the sleeve and allowing the wizard to pull off the filthy, bloodstained tunic that Faramir had given her, and then her thin, cotton undershirt, which he laid across her chest to cover her breasts. Then, he tucked a small blanket up over her, tucking it beneath her shoulders.

"We will start with the wound on your shoulder," he said, and she took a deep breath. Pippin could see goose-bumps raising over her bare collar bone and on the tops of her shoulders, but she nodded.

With a lump in his throat, Pippin watched Gandalf peel away the yellowing bandage, and Nelly winced as the last of it tugged away from her skin. At once, the wizard's face grew hard, and Pippin peeked over, his stomach dropping down.

Even Pippin could tell by a single glance that his sister had been stabbed. The wound was only an inch or two long, but dark, hardened blood clung to its edges, and it had hardly seemed to have begun to scab. The torn skin about its edges was angry and puckered, and her whole shoulder was swollen to almost twice the size of the other.

"It didn't quite go all the way through," she said quietly. "The knife."

"It went deep enough," the wizard said gravely. "When did this happen?"

Nelly breathed out slowly, shaking her head. "I don't… a week ago? Maybe two? It – it was the day we destroyed the thing… I can't remember how long ago that was."

Pippin could not remember either. The days had all blurred into one another, and it felt like a lifetime since the battle at the gates, and the fire pouring into the sky.

"That was nearly fifteen days ago," Gandalf murmured, studying the wound carefully. "That the wound isn't infected…"

"The boys used the Fire Salve," she said, her lips twitching into a grimace. "Every day, until we ran out. They used it everywhere." Catching Pippin's confusion, she added, "The one Óin used for Kíli, on the Carrock."

Pippin's eyes widened, and his fingers grew tighter around Nelly's. He had heard horrible things about the pain of that balm for longer than he could remember.

"Well, in doing so they probably saved your life, my dear Nelly," said Gandalf, shaking his head slowly. Pippin thought that he could see the sparkle of a tear in the wizard's eyes. "Be still now, for a little while. Let me see what can be done."

Nelly nodded, and turned her face towards Pippin. She swallowed, and took a deep breath, and went very still. Though a part of him was sure that Gandalf's instruction was primarily to his sister, Pippin froze too, staying as still as stone as the wizard held his hand over Nelly's shoulder, and closed his eyes.

With a soft sigh, Nelly closed her own eyes, but she pinched Pippin's hand tighter, and he let out a deep breath.

And waited.

Impatience clawed at him, and he longed to fidget or ask questions or even just start nattering, but he forced himself to wait. Gandalf said be still, and Nelly was still in danger. Pippin was not so naïve as to think that now they had her safe, she would be alright. Not when her skin was grey and ashen, and her cheeks were so sunken, and he could see her collarbones so starkly.

Not while she still had a knife wound in her shoulder.

After a little while, Nelly's grip grew tighter, and she gasped, her eyes scrunching tightly together. Pippin's mouth flew open, but even before he could speak, Gandalf muttered, "Hold still, now…"

Nelly groaned, and then whimpered, her toes curling up and her grip on Pippin's fingers growing painful, but she did not move her shoulder, not even a little, and Pippin felt the heat of his own tears on his cheeks.

With a small cry, Gandalf sat back, and Nelly let out another gasp, her eyes flying open. For a moment, her eyes were wild, and her breathing as fast as Pippin's heartbeat, but then she paused, and turned to Gandalf.

"What… what?" she breathed, and Gandalf held out his palm.

"You were carrying a rather unpleasant trophy," he said, and Pippin saw something dark, and sharp, and glistening red sitting on his palm. "Even with the balm, you are incredibly lucky that this did not cause you any infection – though I've no doubt it caused much pain."

"Is that…" Pippin cut off, feeling rather sick.

"The tip of the blade," confirmed Gandalf, washing his hands in the water bowl on the side, and then pulling a small vial from the folds of his cloak. "This should be a little less uncomfortable," he promised, "though it will sting a little."

Nelly nodded, gritting her teeth, and Gandalf poured a small, drop of silvery liquid out onto her shoulder. She hissed, but did not move, and Gandalf's hand once again hovered above her shoulder.

He murmured gentle words beneath his breath, words that Pippin could neither hear nor understand, and he watched as a little of the tension eased from his sister's jaw. After another long few minutes, Gandalf took out a fresh, white bandages, and bound it carefully around Nelly's shoulder.

"There we are," he said gently. Now, for your chest…"

She nodded, pulling down the blanket, and once again Pippin's stomach gave a swoop of dismay. A long, deep gash tore across his sister's chest, running from just above her left breast to disappear by her hips on the right, and just the look of it made Pippin feel a little ill. In places, he thought he could see the muscle glistening beneath her skin as her chest rose and fell with her breathing.

"Again, our boys have been rather clever," said Gandalf, though Pippin thought he could catch a hint of pain in the wizard's voice, too. "They treated this wound too, I suppose?"

"Yes," said Nelly softly. "They did. As best they could."

Gandalf nodded, and again held his hand over her skin, and again Pippin waited in silence.

He wondered how much pain his sister was in. It had to be insufferable - he didn't think he could bear it. If such a thing had happened to Pippin, he was sure that he would have given up a long time ago.

It seemed quicker, the healing of her chest, and soon, that wound too was bound with a clean, white bandage, Gandalf moved down to Nelly's ankle, next, and Pippin blanched once again. Her left ankle was twice the size of the right, and blackened with bruising so dark it looked almost like black paint.

"How did this happen?" Gandalf asked quietly, and Nelly winced.

"A war hammer... I was on the ground and it smashed against the rock, and…" She gave a sad little shrug, and Pippin felt himself trembling with rage and horror. She glanced up at him, and gave a little smile. "It's alright, Pip," she murmured. "Frodo got them all. Every last one of them."

"Good," he said, and then he pursed his lips because even that one word threatened to break the dam of his tears.

Gandalf said nothing, but there was anger in the clench of his jaw as he held out his hands over Nelly's ankle. They were there for almost an hour more, and Pippin could not tell how much was magic, and how much was medicine. He was not particularly interested – as long as she lived, as long as she was alright, he would be content.

And whatever it was that Gandalf was doing, it seemed to be working. By the time he was done, he had managed to coax away the worst of the swelling from her face and shoulder and foot, and the smaller cuts and scrapes and grazes that covered her like a second skin began to close. Leaning back, the wizard passed her a small bottle of pain tonic, and Nelly drank it as though her life depended on it.

"There, now," murmured Gandalf, taking the empty bottle from her hands. "Pippin, there ought to be some broth ready by now – will you fetch a bowl for your sister? A small bowl – eating too much too soon will do more harm than good."

Pippin glanced at Nelly, and she smiled slightly, squeezing his hand.

"Please. And – if Elladan and Elrohir have finished with the boys, will you ask them to please come see me? And if they can, could you bring Red and Rín, too? They're elves, among the others we came with. If you tell them I asked for them, they'll come."

"That sounds like quite a crowd, my dear Nelly," said Gandalf slowly. "I think when you have eaten it would be best if you rested."

"This is important, Gandalf," she insisted, her fingers growing even tighter around Pippin's "Please, Pippin. I promise we won't be long."

This time, Pippin glanced up at the wizard, and Gandalf gave a slow nod. "Very well. Hurry along now, Peregrin, that's a good lad."

"And be gentle, and quiet, and calm," Nelly begged him. "They'll be terrified of everything, Pip, and that includes you."

With another hasty nod, Pippin hurried out of the tent and into the cool darkness of the night, making for the other healing tent as quickly as he could. Inside, he found Frodo and Bróin sitting up on low beds, talking quietly with Aragorn and Gimli. Gimli was combing through the matted, tangled mess of Bróin's hair, and beside him Sam was dozing. Legolas and Boromir were both sitting nearby, nodding and humming at whatever story Gimli was telling, and Elladan and Elrohir were both standing nearby with wry, weary smiles.

Relief flooded through Pippin from his head right down to the tips of his toes.

They were alright.

They were alive.

Frodo looked up, and he let out a long sigh. "Pippin! At last – how's Nelly?"

For a moment, Pippin was not sure how to answer. There was a stab wound in his sister's shoulder and a gash across her chest, and her ankle had been smashed against the stone of Mount Doom with a war-hammer, and to say anything other than broken seemed to be the understatement of the century. But Frodo knew – he knew what had happened to Nelly, what she had lived and fought through, and Pippin took a deep breath.

"Gandalf's looked at all her wounds," he said carefully. "And she's not in as much pain now, she's had some tonic. He said you did a good job at treating the wounds, too."

A dark look fell over Bróin's face, and his fingers curled into a fist. "Hardly a good job. We did all we could, but…"

"Well she's not got any infections," said Pippin, forcing a little cheer into his voice. "And Gandalf got the tip of the knife out."

"What?" Bróin yelped, almost waking Sam, who snuffled closer to Gimli in his sleep. "It was – it was still in her?"

Pippin nodded. "But it's out, now."

Bróin swore, ducking his head, and Gimli hushed him quietly.

"You're all safe now," he said. "We'll get you home. Don't fret, lad."

"Was there something else, Pippin?" asked Frodo, a gentle smile on his face. "Only if you're fetching Nelly food, she must be starving…"

"Oh, yes!" Pippin felt himself grow pink. "She asked me to see how you were, and to ask that if Elladan and Elrohir have finished, might they please go over and see her right away."

Elladan blinked. "Us?"

"Them?" demanded Gimli indignantly.

"Yes. She said it wouldn't take long. Gandalf said it was alright," Pippin added, though it seemed to do little to placate Gimli.

The twins glanced at each other, and then nodded.

"Very well," said Elrohir slowly. "If Gandalf says all is well, we will go now."

"I'll meet you there," Pippin promised, and the sons of Elrond bowed, striding gracefully out of the tent. With a smile and a half-wave at the others, Pippin made to follow, but Frodo called out to him.

"Pippin… did she ask for someone else, beside Elladan and Elrohir?" Pippin nodded, but before he could elaborate, Frodo asked, "Red and Rín?"

Pippin frowned slightly. "How did you know?"

Frodo sighed heavily, and shook his head. "Just… just tell them that I said to only go if they're ready."

"Ready for what?"

"To meet the sons of Elrond." Frodo lowered his gaze, staring at his hands and avoiding the curious eyes of Bróin and Aragorn and Gimli. "Please, Pippin."

If Pippin had more energy, he might have been very confused, but instead he just nodded.

"I'll see you all soon," he promised, fighting the urge to run over and hug Frodo and Bróin and Sam until his arms fell off and instead hurrying out of the door.

He sniffed until he caught the scent of food on the air, and turned to follow his nose. It did not take him long to find the source of the smell – merely a few paces away from the Healing Tents Beregond was stirring a great pot of broth. It looked as though he had almost finished filling the bowls of those who had arrived with Nelly and the others, but though they were being fed, the strangers all looked uneasy.

Some of them looked terrified.

Pippin's heart sank. Did they even know that they were safe, now?

One of them glanced up at him, a human girl who could not be more than fourteen or fifteen years old, but she quickly ducked her gaze, curling in on herself and letting her hair fall over her face. Pippin swallowed, and made his way to Beregond.

"How can I help, Master Pippin?" the guard asked at once. "And how is your sister?"

"She's… healing," said Pippin. "And hungry. Could I get a bowl of broth for her, please? A small bowl – Gandalf says too much might hurt her stomach."

"I understand," said Beregond, inclining his head, and, Pippin turned to the strangers.

Some of them looked up at him. There was something unnerving about the hollowness of their eyes, and the fear in their faces. He took a deep breath.

"I'm – I'm Pippin," he said, shuffling his feet. "Nelly is my sister. She asked if Red and Rín would please come and see her for a moment?"

A pair of elves – identical but for different scars on their cheeks – exchanged a startled look.

"She – she wishes to speak with us?" whispered the elf with one scar.

"Yes," said Pippin. "Oh, but Frodo said to say that only if you're ready. If you're ready to meet the sons of Elrond."

The elf's eyes widened, and he glanced at the other. After a long moment, the elf with two scars spoke.

"I am Rín. This is Red. We – we will come."

"What-" began a young woman, but her words died the moment Pippin glanced at her, and she lowered her head.

"What's wrong?" he asked, and she slowly raised her eyes.

"For – forgive me my lord, but, but what of the rest of us?" she whispered. "What will be done with us now?"

Pippin blinked, rather taken aback. "Done with you? Well if you mean done to you nothing. When you've eaten I expect someone'll find you some beds-"

"They're already readying them now," added Beregond, a great sadness swallowing his face as he looked at the strangers. "No one will harm you, you have my word on that. I-"

At that moment, a young soldier in the armour of Gondor made his way towards Beregond, only to freeze, and then cut across the older warrior with a scream. It was a wretched sound, a cry of shock and grief and pain all wrapped up in a single name.

"Mari?"

The girl who had avoided Pippin's gaze earlier gave a yelp of fear and threw her arms over her head, but then she froze too, wide, bloodshot eyes peeking over the shield of her hands. Her eyes grew even wider, and the strength seemed to seep out of her body altogether.

"W-Will?" she whimpered, and the soldier wailed. He did not look much older than the girl, perhaps fifteen or sixteen years old at most, and he threw himself forward. At once, some of the other women leant in around the girl, but Mari scrambled up onto her hands and knees and then onto her feet, and as she launched forward the boy caught her, crushing her against him with another wail.

"Mari! Mari, Mari, Mari, I thought – I thought-"

She let out a long, wordless keen, her fingers clenching around the back of his tunic, and buried her face in his neck.

"I thought you were dead," he whimpered, and Pippin could see that he was trembling even worse than Mari was. "We, we came home and it – and you, you were – Ma?"

Mari shook her head with a soft cry, and the boy sobbed again.

"Oh, Mari… Mari… I – I found Da, Mari, he's here!"

The girl stiffened, pulling back to stare at Will's face with a look of fearful hope, and he nodded, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"He, he was trapped in Osgiliath, but Lord Faramir, he... he saved them all, Da's here, he's here, he's alive."

Mari gave another little wail and collapsed into Will's arms again, and another soldier stepped, taking Will's arm.

"Who's your father, lad? I'll fetch him."

"Cadell, son of Gethin, sir," choked Will, and the soldier vanished with a nod.

"Here, lad," said Beregond softly, pushing a warm bowl of stew into Pippin's hands. "Your sister'll be hungry. Don't you worry about our friends here – I'll look after them."

Rubbing his sleeve across his eyes, Pippin bowed, and beckoned to Red and Rín, smiling in what he hoped was an encouraging manner. They rose in an eerie unison, standing so close together that the backs of their hands were always touching, and when he turned they followed him silent as a shadow.

"Are… are you two twins then?" he asked in an attempt at cheerful small talk. They nodded, and said nothing. They'll be terrified of everything, Pip, and that includes you. Pippin took a deep breath. "I always wondered what it would be like to have a twin. I expect you could pull the best pranks – Merry and I do well enough, he's my cousin, but with someone that looks the same as you – it would be excellent. The closest I look to anyone is my sister Vinca, but even she looks more like Mama than she does me. Nelly looks more like Auntie Esme – that's my Papa's sister, and Merry's mother."

"Nelly is your sister," said Red softly, and Pippin nodded.

"Yes," said Pippin, a lump rising in his throat again. "Yes, she's my sister." "

She is badly hurt," Red murmured.

"Yes," he whispered. He did not trust his voice to sound another word without breaking.

"We are sorry," said Red. "We feared so."

"She's strong, though," said Pippin stubbornly, blinking back the tears in his eyes. "She'll be fine."

Red bowed his head, and said nothing. Again. The guards by the healing tent held open its door for Pippin, glancing with a wary awe at Red and Rín, whose heads had instantly bowed. Pippin swallowed, and led the elven twins through the rows of the injured, and up to the small room at the back. He could hear the soft murmurings of Gandalf and Nelly, and when he ducked through the curtain it was to find her sitting up against Gandalf's side. Elladan and Elrohir stood to the side.

When she saw Pippin, Nelly smiled, but when she reached out towards the bowl Pippin saw that not even her palms were unharmed, and his own smile died on his lips. He passed her the bowl and sat down beside her, and she smiled up at Red and Rín.

"Thank you for coming," she said, her voice gentler than Pippin had ever heard it.

The twins bowed, and when they rose, Red gave a tiny twitch of the lip that could nearly be described as a smile. "It is good to see you look a little better, Miss Nelly."

"Thank you," she said, bowing her head. To Pippin's utter astonishment, she did not start eating the moment the niceties were out of the way. Instead, she nodded towards the wizard, and the Elrond's sons with a sad smile. "These are my friends - Gandalf the White, who was known in the West as Olórin, and Elladan and Elrohir - the sons of Elrond. Know that you are utterly safe here - I trust everyone in this room as well as I trust myself, or Bróin or Frodo or Sam. More, even, than I trust Toothy. I've told them nothing that isn't my story to tell. Please, introduce yourselves as you wish to. Do not say more than you feel comfortable with."

For a long moment, Red and Rín said nothing. Rín's eyes flickered over everyone in the room, never lingering on anyone for more than a moment, but Red stared at the sons of Elrond as though he was drinking in every last detail of their faces, tears glistening in his eyes. Such a look would make Pippin rather uncomfortable, but Elladan and Elrohir looked calm as the Mirromere, unassuming and void of any expectation. Then, Red broke his gaze and looked desperately at his own twin, and Rín swallowed, and nodded.

"For years beyond count," Red said quietly, "we have gone by the names Rín and Red. But a lifetime ago, we were born in a land of elves and trees. And when we were born, we… we were named Eluréd and Elurín. And we… we are the…"

"We are the sons of Dior," finished Rín.

At once Elladan's jaw dropped, and Elrohir drew in a sharp breath, his eyes widening.

"Oh," sighed Gandalf, and even in so small a word it sounded like his heart was breaking.

"Ed' i'ear ar' elenea," Elrohir breathed.

Wordlessly, Elladan stepped forward, his head tilting towards the side, and Pippin realised that his eyes were an almost identical shade of grey to Red and Rín's, and there was a similar slope to their noses. He glanced at Nelly, and she pressed her forehead against his, closing her eyes.

Slowly, Elladan reached out his hand and held it over Red's chest, and then he smiled, amazement and sorrow and joy shining in his face. "Long…" he breathed, his voice trembling. "Long have we wished to meet you – ever did we think it would be only in death…" The joy on Elladan's face fell into horror as suddenly and surely as a cloud passing over the moon, and he stepped back slightly, shaking his head. "If we had known – if we had known, we – All the legends told that you were dead – if we knew what had befallen you, we… I am so sorry."

"You had no way to know that this had come to pass, Elladan," said Gandalf sternly, though his eyes were full of tears. "It was long before even the birth of your father that Eluréd and Elurín vanished. This is not your doing."

"Perhaps," said Elrohir, a tear rolling down his cheek, "but it is now our duty to make it right as best we can. We are sorry for what you endured." He bowed low, and Elladan stepped back and bowed too, and then they rose, and Elladan gave a small smile.

"If you will come with us, we may talk a while, and you may rest – and if it pleases you, when all our work in the east is done, you may come home with us, to Rivendell. Our father would love to meet you."

"Home?" repeated Red.

Elrohir nodded. "Home. We will keep you safe now, and when we return to Rivendell it will be a home no one will take from you."

Red and Rín glanced at Nelly, and Pippin noticed with a start that his sister was crying. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she sniffed, nestling closer to Pippin.

"It's up to you," she said. "Your decisions are your own now. And you don't have to make them yet. You don't have to decide anything tonight. But Rivendell's as good a home as any – and far better than most."

"We… we would like to talk, if we may," said Red shyly. "There is much we would like to know…"

"There is much to tell," said Elrohir, and Pippin could see excitement shining in his eyes. "Come – we will take you to our tent. I think it's time we let Nelly eat her dinner and get some rest."

"That sounds like a good plan, Elrohir," said Gandalf firmly, and Red and Rín nodded, albeit a little hesitantly.

"Thank you, Nelly," said Elladan intently, putting his hand over his heart and bowing at her. "Sleep well. We will see you after you wake, I am sure."

She bowed her head, and the sons of Elrond took their leave, leading Red and Rín out after them.

"Nelly, I don't understand," Pippin whispered, and she giggled.

"This is Eluréd and Elurín, the sons of Dior," she said. "Dior was the son of Beren."

Pippin frowned heavily. "And they know Elrond somehow?"

Nelly gave a choking laugh, and Gandalf groaned. "By the stars, Pippin – their sister is Elwing. Elrond's mother."

"Oh. Oh!" Understanding shot through Pippin like an arrow, and he felt his cheeks burn red. But Nelly kissed his cheek, and pressed her forehead against his for a long moment. "Well. Eat your dinner, Nell."

"Gladly," she breathed, though Gandalf caught her arm.

"Slowly," he reminded her. "You'll make yourself sick."

With a sigh, she complied, eating so slowly that Pippin was sure it must be torture for her. Eventually, however, the bowl was empty, and the spoon had been licked clean, and Nelly's eyelids began to flutter.

"Stay, Pippin?" she mumbled, as Pippin eased the bowl from her hands and Gandalf rearranged the pillows to lie her flat.

Without a word, Pippin lay down beside her, and she nestled up against him. Chuckling softly, and muttering something about hobbits, Gandalf tucked a blanket around the both of them, and blew out the candles one by one, and for the first time in a very long time, both Nelly and Pippin slept well.

I hope you enjoyed that chapter! It was really hard to write the meeting of Elrond's sons and Red and Rin, so I hope that I did okay with it! Please do let me know what you thought.

Also, as an aside, I know the real world's a bit of a crazy place right now. Please just know that you are never alone, and that I hope and pray you stay safe, and are able to look after yourself and your loved ones. I'm only a message away if you need to vent.

All my love,

Hobbsy3